Authors: Kiss, Réka; Deák, Balázs ;Tóth, Katalin;Lukács, Katalin;Rádai, Zoltán;Kelemen, András;Miglécz, Tamás;Tóth, Ágnes;Godó, Laura;Valkó, Orsolya;

The abandonment of agricultural lands is a global problem but it also provides an opportunity for grassland restoration and halting ecosystem degradation. Low- or high-diversity seed-mixtures application is a frequently used method to restore species-rich grasslands. When applying both, the timing of seed-mixtures sowing is essential. We aimed to identify the most efficient timing of seed-mixture sowing to maximize restoration success. We applied grass-seeds, divers forb seed-mixtures (DM) and the combination of the two in a recently abandoned cropland. Grass-seeds were sown in the first year of the experiment. DM was sown simultaneously or 1, 2 or 3 years after the sowing of grass-seeds, in plots previously sown with grass-seeds or in empty plots (fallows). The results highlight the efficiency of both grass-seeds and DM in covering bare soil and supressing weeds. Sown forbs performed better when sown in fallows, especially in younger ones. DM sowing with grass-seeds was effective only in simultaneous sowing or with one-year delay. Later introduction of forbs was less successful, and can be costly as needs the severe disturbance of the existing vegetation. Based on our results, we recommend restoration shortly after cropland abandonment and the introduction of target species simultaneously to the area.